Indo-Pak talks: PM has betrayed people, says Sushma

Chennai, Jun 24: The BJP on Thursday, Jun 23 criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for going ahead with Indo-Pak talks although he promised that no talks will be held with the western neighbour till it does something "solid and substantial" regarding the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj charged the Prime Minister with "betraying" the people by allowing the foreign secretary-level talks.

"It is the promise of the Prime Minister to the electorate of this country. Before elections, he said unless something solid and substantial is done by Pakistan on this issue , we will not hold talks. But he has betrayed the people by holding these talks," she told reporters here.

The BJP had told the PM in "very plain words" that unless cross-border terrorism is stopped, there was no point in holding talks. "But still they are holding talks," the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

The two-day foreign Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan got underway in Islamabad today where the two nations are expected to discuss a host of issues, including terrorism.

PTI